Senators defenceman Cody Ceci is focusing on playing, not on trade rumours

Make no mistake, there’s a lot of talk surrounding the future of the Ottawa Senators defenceman going into the National Hockey League trade deadline on Feb. 25.

While there has been great speculation regarding what general manager Pierre Dorion will do with potential free-agent forwards Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the 25-year-old Ceci is also often mentioned in the rumour mill.

As the Senators leave Wednesday for a four-game, eight-day road trip, Ceci might want to pack some extra clothes. Who knows what tomorrow will bring as playoff contenders try to stock up for the stretch drive? Ceci could fit easily into any top four in the league.

“It’s not the first time my name’s has been in the (trade) rumbles,” Ceci told Postmedia before the Senators faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night. “It’s just what happens when your team is at the bottom of the standings.

“It’s all part of the business. I mean, if you’re not doing well, they’ll try to move pieces to get younger and younger, so that’s just part of it.”

Senators defenceman Cody Ceci says he has been fortunate tgo play in the NHL in his hometown, but admits trade possibilities are out of his control.Tony Caldwell /
Postmedia

The Senators haven’t shopped Ceci, but there’s definitely interest from other teams looking to bulk up on defence going into the post-season, and Ceci fits the bill because he’s settled into a shutdown role.

He leads the team in ice time most nights. This season, he is playing an average of 22:17 per game, much of that ice time against the NHL’s top players and it’s a role he relishes. He has accept the role he has been given by Guy Boucher and the rest of the Senators’ coaching staff on a young blue-line corps.

But Ceci has also become a lightning rod for criticism and his mistakes are regularly pointed out on social media. He is doing his best in a difficult role.

“I guess in the role that I’m in, I’m playing in a defensive role against the top lines, and it kind of limits your ability to play offence or to take chances,” Ceci said. “You’ve got to play a sound defensive game and there’s a lot of people that just don’t understand that.”

Ceci says he enjoys the responsibilities he has been given.

“It’s a good challenge every single night,” he added. “You’re playing against the top players in the world and you might not be getting all the glory out there, but it’s a big part of team wins.”

Maybe the best option for Ceci is to avoid newspapers, radio, television and the speculation about his future. He tries to avoid Twitter and Instagram and websites carrying the latest trade rumours.

A potential restricted free agent as of July 1, Ceci is playing out a one-year, $4.3-million deal awarded following salary arbitration last summer. This season, his name surfaced on the trade market around Christmas, then went away for a while, but it’s full steam ahead with the deadline around the corner.

“I don’t follow it too closely at all,” Ceci said. “You see things pop up here and there. I don’t have Twitter anymore and I don’t really follow it on SportsCentre or the news. I try to stay away from all media types as much as I can and just focus on whoever we’re playing that night.”

Drafted No. 15 overall by the Senators in 2012 from the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, Ceci considers himself lucky to have had an opportunity to play in the NHL in his hometown. He admitted in the early part of his career a trade would have been difficult for his family and friends, but now he’s ready for anything.

“It’s completely out of my control at this point, so it’s just whatever the team wants to do moving forward with me,” Ceci said. “Our lot of top guys are the (names being speculated) on TV, so it’s tough to see. It’s just the position that we’re in right now.”

Naturally, he’d rather stay put.

“I still like playing in Ottawa. I’m from here and my friends and family are here,” Ceci said. “But it’s part of the business and it would have been a lot different if I had gotten traded in one my first years (instead of) now when I had the chance to play at home.

“If they want to move me, I think at this point, my friends and family understand what they’re doing is they’re trying to get younger, but I still really enjoying playing and living in Ottawa.”

The thing is, though, that Ceci isn’t that old, although he, Mark Borowiecki and Dylan DeMelo are the most experienced players on a Senators’ defence that includes youngsters Thomas Chabot, Maxime Lajoie and Christian Jaros.

“I don’t know if they want to get much younger than (25), but, if they do, I guess that’s the plan,” Ceci said.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.